


See You on the Flip Side || A Dam Miraculous Crossover

by 19fandomsandcounting



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Akumatized Annabeth Chase, Angst, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Humor, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Female Character, Paris (City), Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:22:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24415828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19fandomsandcounting/pseuds/19fandomsandcounting
Summary: Scarlet Chi, a daughter of Hades from New York, moves to Paris with her mom where she meets (and completely falls for) Adrien Agreste. Scarlet is in for a ride to soon discover that, even away from America, death still follows her everywhere. || Updates every Wednesday!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> woah ok i didn't realize how angsty that summary sounded, hi there~  
> anyways, this takes place roughly before the beginning of season three and before the trials of apollo. hopefully there aren't any mistakes or typos (gods know how many times i've read through this) but please feel free to tell me if there's anything that needs to be fixed!  
> gah i suck at tagging. so badly. i'll try and get more added as more chapters are published!!

“I don’t guess Paris is all that different from New York. Architecture’s completely different, and the food isn’t the same, but Paris is pretty cool. Other than the lack of demigods - but hey, at least I don’t have a pantheon of gods barking in my ear all day,” I joked.  


The Iris-message shimmered, showing a group of people from Camp Half-Blood. Will, Nico, and Chiron were in the forefront, while Percy and Annabeth were noticeably missing. I thought little of it, assuming they were off together, or maybe with Sally and Paul.  


I heard footsteps approaching outside the door. “Hey, sorry for cutting it short, but someone’s coming.”

“Ooh, it is that Agreste kid? I heard he’s totally a hottie,” chimed in an Aphrodite girl.

“Uh, yeah, probably,” I said quickly.  


“What’s he look like? Does he know you’re a demigod? Does he smell nice?”

“Sorry, I - he’s coming, I’ve gotta go.” A knock on the door encouraged me to swipe my hand through the mist, ending the message. I walked from the adjoined bathroom to my bedroom to open it.

“Hey, Scarlet, how are you doing? Have you gotten everything unpacked?” asked the apparently chivalrous Adrien Agreste.

“Uh, hi, Adrien,” I replied awkwardly. It felt surreal that I now lived in the same house as the famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste and his model son - more surreal than any shenanigans I’d ever pulled with the demigods.

“I’m mostly unpacked. Just the little things I don’t really need are still in their boxes, but I can unpack them later.”

“Great! I was wondering, then, if you’d like to maybe get some ice cream with me?”

I stared at his green eyes in shock. “Like - as a date?” I asked in disbelief.

“No, no, not a date. Just ... friends. I thought it would be nice to get to know each other. Neither of us have any siblings, so I thought it would be nice to do things we each other that it’s kind of weird to do on your own. Like get ice cream.”

“Alright then,” I hesitantly agreed.

“So ... what’s New York like? Did you always live there? How’d you get so good at French?” Adrien asked.

"New York - well, it's worlds away from this but still the same one, I guess," I said as we walked out the gate in his backyard. "I mean, there's a lack of skyscrapers here, but pigeons are pigeons. Trash is trash. Kids saving the world from impending doom are kids saving the world from impending doom."

"What was the last thing?"

"Hm? Oh gods," I said as I realized what I’d said. “That’s a joke. Because, you know, Paris has Ladybug and Chat Noir, and New York doesn’t have quite so designated heroes.”

“Not quite?”

“Wow, being cut off from the world for thirteen years of your life has really deprived you from a sense of humor.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Maybe it’s just that I’ve never really interacted with any people my own age until this year. I’m not really cut off from the world, just other teenagers. Well, that, or I inherited it from my dad.”

“Well, now you’re stuck with me. It’ll kind of be like I’m your sister and you’re my brother. It ought to be good for you to have someone to talk to face-to-face all the time.”

“You have me,” said a voice. Though it differed from Adrien’s, it still sounded like it came from him.

“What was-”

Adrien looked panicked. “Uh, my phone! It says ‘you have mail’ whenever someone emails me.”

“People ... email you?”

“Um ... yeah. My teachers. At school. About school things.”

I laughed. “You’re a worse liar than Percy,” I said, forgetting Adrien didn’t know about the famed demigod.

“Who’s Percy?” Adrien asked, jumping on a chance to change the topic.

“Ah, he’s a kid I know from New York. Real Sweet. Not the best liar. Got a girlfriend, actually - they’re kind of my OTP. He’s gotta be, oh, four years older than us? Five, maybe.”

“Is he a ‘save the world from impending doom’ type kid?”

I nearly choked. “What? No! No way! Percy? Save the world? What! No!” I said, my voice getting progressively higher.

“And you say I’m a terrible liar.”

Adrien pulled me into the park. We sat down on the water fountain ledge, and I hoped it wouldn’t turn on soon. Gods, that would be awkward.

“Sounds like both of us have a secret. I don’t like secrets, much. You feel like sharing?”

I pondered it. “Secret for a secret, eh? I’m open to that. You first, or me?”

“Is that ... Adrien Agreste?” someone yelled from across the park.

“With a girl?” someone else added.

A crowd rushed towards us, snapping pictures with their phones. A buzz of notifications sounded when they began to pop up on social media.

Adrien stood up, offering me his hand. “I’d assume you don’t want a mob of fans posting about your secrets all over the media.”

“Then you’d assume correctly,” I answered, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me up.

He dragged me out of the park, running faster than I imagined he’d be able to. We ducked into a shadowy alley, and I felt my breath returning quicker than it would have in broad daylight.

“You good?” Adrien asked. He seemed much less winded than I did.

“Not so used to running. Sparring, sure, but sprinting is not my thing.”

The unexpectedly swift teen chuckled, then quickly quieted. “Shhh.”

“Wha-” I began, but Adrien pressed a finger to my lips, pointing to the street with the other hand. A second later, the crazed crowd ran past, thinking we were still running from them.

A moment passed after they’d missed us hiding in the dark alley. “How’d you learn to run so fast?” I asked after he removed his finger from my lips.

“This happens more often than you’d think. I’ve just had a lot of practice - well, that and I’m on the basketball team. Ready to spill your darkest secret now?”

“Two things: one, that’s not what we agreed on, and two, did we climb out a window just to be mobbed by those people?”

Adrien sighed. “Fine, I guess just a normal secret will do. And ... right. Yeah. Forgot about that.”

I looked at him expectantly. “Well?”

He sighed. “It’s just ... I’m sort of grounded at the moment. My dad - well, I mean, usually he doesn’t mind too much if I go out and hang with friends, but with so many people getting akumatized and all, he’s just being overly protective.”

“So you sneak out often, huh?”

“That’s actually the first time I’ve done it. Didn’t have the nerve on my own-”

“But since I’m with you, you can blame me and I’ll take the fall,” I guessed.

Adrien smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, if you don’t mind ... ”

I laughed. “Sneaking out a window isn’t even close to the worst thing I’ve had to tell my mom that I did.”

“What is, then?” Adrien probed.

“Secret number one, then. This kinda explains a lot of my other secrets. I mean, this one isn’t too big of a deal, but it’s not really something I’d like to give out as my first impression.”

“So you trust me, then?” he asked, a sly smile on his face.

“What can I say, I’m very trusting. That, and you’re stuck with me. It’s not like your dad would go to all the trouble to bring my mom and me over here, let us stay at his house, and employ my mom just to kick us out in a week.”

“Fine, fine,” he surrendered. “So, tell me, what is this secret? I’m dying to know.”

As I opened my mouth, a flash of red passed above us. “Ladybug?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Adrien replied slowly. “I’m sorry. Hold that thought. I’ll be right back. Promise.”

He sprinted out of the shadowy alley, leaving me wondering where in Olympus he’d gone. “Ladybug, you say? The superhero ... Well, I’m not a demigod for nothing. Might as well see what I can do to help.”

My mind made up, I shadow travelled away, trusting my instincts to take me where I needed to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> psst the major character death is only in like the last three chapters or so


	2. Chapter 2

I popped up in the shadow of a chimney atop a roof. No one showed themselves at this altitude, at least not until Ladybug appeared in her spotted red-and-black suit.

Ladybug tried to hide her groan. “We need to get you to safety,” she said as she swung onto the roof.

Before I could defend myself, Chat Noir jumped on the roof as well. His green cat eyes widened as he noticed me, and he grabbed Ladybug’s arm before she could take me “to safety.”

“Let me go,” Ladybug demanded, yanking her arm out of his grip. “I’ll take her someplace safe. You find out where the akuma is.”

“Wait, m’lady,” Chat said. “This is Scarlet, and I think she’s here to help us. She can’t just be anyone, anyways. There’s no reason for anyone up here, but she somehow is - and before either of us. We should at least give her a chance.”

An odd feeling bubbled in my stomach. It felt like I knew Chat from somewhere - but I couldn’t, could I? No, I couldn’t, not as Chat Noir, at least. Perhaps... did I know him under the mask?

Thoughts whirled in my head, and it took me longer than it should have to realize what Chat had said. “Wait. How do you know my name?” I asked him.

The black feline hero suddenly looked panicked, and the bubbly sensation in my stomach told me I knew that face, but I couldn’t place it.

“I, uh, saw a picture of you on the news with your mom. She’s working for my-” Chat paused for a second, the stressed look only increasing, like he’d misspoken and needed to fix his mistake.

“-my favorite fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste,” he ad libbed. “After all, it’s a pretty big deal one of the most secretive designers has now taken on someone from New York. A story like that - definitely on the news.”

Ladybug and I shared a look of disbelief. Chat Noir offered a fake smile, but we made a silent agreement to drop the subject for now.

“Alright,” Ladybug said. “So Scarlet stays. Now what? I still haven’t found the akumatized villain.”

We each turned around, scanning for some type of trouble. Finally our gazes landed on the Eiffel Tower, where two figures were fighting beneath it.

“Who are they? They can’t both be akumatized, can they?” Ladybug asked.

Chat stared intensely at the action. “It looks like... well, it looks like the ocean had a falling out with an owl.”

“What?” Ladybug questioned, confused.

“No, no, he - he meant what he said,” I answered, things clicking in my mind. “Gods, Percy, what did you do?”

“Percy?” Chat Noir repeated.

“Jackson, yeah. Kid from the States. He’d be the ocean figure. He’s - oh gods, you can see him?”

“And others ... can’t?”

My brain went into overtime, and as the last piece fell into place, I thought my head might explode.

“Scarlet? Scar?”

I looked from Chat to Ladybug and back. My gaze continued flicking between them as I talked. “Guys, this is going to sound crazy, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this. Please. Do you?”

Ladybug glanced at Chat Noir. “Do we?”

Chat pulled out his staff. “With my life. To the Eiffel Tower, then?”

I nodded. “Let’s go,” I said.

Chat Noir grabbed my waist, surprising me with the warmth of his hand. If he noticed my flinch, he hid it. Together, we vaulted over buildings to the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug swinging along beside us.


	3. Chapter 3

“Crash course in Greek mythology,” I said as we landed in front of the fighting. “There’s this thing called the Mist, and it covers up demigod activity so mortals can’t see. But I don’t know how well it’s going to be working, what with Annabeth - the owl - having been akumatized by a Parisian villain. Now, I’d guess that everyone can see what Annabeth is doing, because that seems to be the case with other akumatized people. But Percy might be a bit different.”

“Back up,” Ladybug said, holding out her hand. “Greek mythology?”

I sighed. “Yes, Greek mythology. Crash course number two: Gods, like Hades, Zeus, and Athena, all of those guys, they can have kids with mortals. Those kids are called demigods, and they have powers that correspond with their godly parent. Percy over there, he’s got these mad water powers because he’s son of Poseidon, the sea god. That’s why he’s summoned all that water, it’s his best power.”

“And how do you know all this?”

Ladybug was getting on my nerves. “I know Percy and Annabeth. They’re from New York. And I happen to be a demigod too,” I added, feeling a bit miffed.

“That’s so awesome,” Chat said before Ladybug could do anything. “Who’s your godly parent?”

“Hades, but that’s irrelevant right now. You guys ready to meet Percy?”

“Wait, what?” Ladybug nearly yelled.

“OI! SEAWEED BRAIN!” I shouted.

It got Percy’s attention. Frowning, he left the battle, sending his wave back to wherever he’d summoned it from.

“Scar? What are you doing here? What’s up with the masked guys?” Percy asked. It felt good to hear someone speaking a language I actually understood.

“My mom got a job here, remember? The better question is, what are you doing here? What happened to Annabeth? And oh, right, these guys. That’s Ladybug, and that’s Chat Noir. They’re actual superheroes, not teenagers who get thrown into hell and are expected to make it back before waking up the Earth.”

“Lucky,” Percy muttered. “Anyways, a god owed me a favor, so they dropped us off here for a date. Things went south, and then ... _that_ happened.”

I translated as Percy gestured to the grey owl that lumbered towards us.

“Did you see a black butterfly before Annabelle turned into this owl?” inquired Ladybug.

“Uh, it’s Annabeth, and yeah, it went into her necklace. Looks like this.” Percy pulled out a necklace from under his shirt with several clay beads on it. I had a similar one around my own neck.

“Right, sorry. Annabeth,” Ladybug corrected.

“Yeah, I see it,” said Chat Noir. “It’s going to be a hard one to get. Annabeth is encased in her owl avatar, we’ll have to take out the avatar in order to get to the akuma.”

“Any ideas how, Percy?”

Percy ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I think I tapped the small of her back on the avatar. It flickered, but I only touched it for a second. If we can push there, you might have a chance of getting the necklace.”

“Then you three try and push that spot. I’ll get the necklace,” commanded Ladybug.

We each nodded in understanding after I translated. Chat got out his metal staff, extending it in preparation to fight. Percy, not even the least bit fazed by fighting with three people who couldn’t be more than fifteen, pulled out a ballpoint pen from his jeans pocket. I moved back as he popped off the cap. Riptide grew with a faint _shink_ to its three foot length, shining in the Paris sun.

I flicked my wrist and my own bone sword appeared, having been summoned by the motion and the crossbone charm bracelet I wore. I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face, adrenaline racing as I got ready to fight.

Ladybug took a step back, examining the magic swords. “Impressive,” she said at last. “Now let’s get that akuma!”


	4. Chapter 4

We began attacking with the owl only mere feet away. I could tell Percy hated fighting his girlfriend, but nonetheless his face adopted the intimidating glare that scared monsters in Tartarus. It looked like any other battle face he made, but his sea green eyes told me he just wanted a normal date with Annabeth, not a fight.

Chat Noir became a blur of black and blond and silver as he darted in front of the owl. “Hey, Bird Brain!” he called. “Bet you can’t catch me!”

I noticed Percy cringe at the name calling, but the wing trying to strike me drew my immediate attention. I dodged and jumped on top of the grey wing, running on top of it to the feathered head.

Annabeth ignored Chat Noir’s taunting, as well as me on her head. She focused on Percy, making loud screeching noises and twisting her head in a full one-eighty to see him on her back. I nearly fell as her neck swivelled, and I yelled at Percy to hurry up.

He floundered around with Riptide as the water from a river rushed around him, pushing him up to the height he needed to stab the small of her back.

Percy’s random jabs weren’t working. A great wing swung through his wave, causing him to fall. I nearly tried to catch him, but I forced myself to take his place in trying to find her weak spot. Ladybug swooped in and saved him before he could crash onto the concrete.

Up close, I realized just how huge a feathery back could be - no wonder Percy couldn’t find the exact spot. We needed more help than we had, but the others were occupied. That left me to find the help.

I felt the ground with my hand. I could sense bones beneath me, and I reached out to them, commanding them to rise.

Within seconds, I had a dozen mostly-formed skeletons passing through the ground, ready to serve.

“Find her weak spot,” I ordered, and they began climbing all over the grey avatar.

Chat Noir wolf-whistled. “Demigod’s got some skills,” he said, moving out of their way. “How’d you learn to do that?”

“That’s nothing compared to what I can do,” Percy scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. “Not the time to show off, Perce.”

Ladybug covered up her laugh with a bad cough. “Oh, hey, look, your skeletons found it,” she said, trying to change the subject.

Sure enough, one of the larger sets of bones had frozen in place, pressing the small of the owl’s back. I released my control on all the other skeletons, and their bones sunk back into the ground.

The owl avatar began flickering until it vanished completely. Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Annabeth, but it came back with nothing.

“I can’t get her necklace,” Ladybug said.

“Looks like we need a little bit of luck, then, m’lady,” replied Chat.

With a small laugh, Ladybug threw her yo-yo in the air. “Lucky Charm!” she yelled, and a small fish hook fell into her hands.

“How am I-” she began, but an idea struck her before she could finish her sentence. “Scarlet, pin Annabeth down with your skeleton, would you?”

“You got it.”

I followed her order as Ladybug attached the fish hook to her yo-yo and threw it at Annabeth. It narrowly missed hitting her blonde head, catching on the necklace instead. She pulled her yo-yo back with the necklace caught on the fish hook.

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir yelled, and his right hand suddenly became charged with destructive powers. He touched Annabeth’s camp necklace, and it dissolved into black ash. A little black butterfly fluttered out, and Ladybug captured it to deevilize it with her yo-yo. It flew away after she released it, now a harmless white insect.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” the superheroine shouted, throwing the fish hook in the air. My skeleton disappeared, Percy’s river water returned to its river, and the destroyed necklace reappeared in perfect shape back around Annabeth’s neck.

“We’ve, uh, got to go before we transform back,” Chat said. “Nice meeting you both, though. Hopefully the next time we see each other, it’ll be under better circumstances.”

Percy chuckled as he helped Annabeth up. “I think we’re done with Paris for a nice long while. Scar, you feel like shadow travelling us back to America?”

“Keep dreaming, Seaweed Brain. I can’t get you that far.”

Annabeth rubbed her head. “Percy? What happened? And - _Scarlet?_ Did I miss something?”

Percy sighed. “It’s a long story, Wise Girl. I’ll explain it to you on the plane.”

“Wait, what? Plane? That’s not a good idea - Percy!” Annabeth shrieked as her boyfriend started to walk away.

“Nice meeting you two. See you on the flip side,” I said.

“Yeah, nice meeting you, Scarlet,” Ladybug said, laughing at the couples’ antics. “Bug out.”

Chat Noir and I watched as she swung away. “Shouldn't you, uh, be going? Gotta keep that secret identity... secret, right?” I asked when Chat didn’t leave as well.

In response, he grabbed me by my waist and vaulted onto a nearby rooftop. He let me go and shrunk his baton. “Plagg, claws in.”

I spun away as a flash of green turned Chat Noir back into his normal self. “I didn’t mean for the flip side to be now!” I yelped. “Look, Chat, I’m nowhere close to being a superhero, but even I know that superhero one-oh-one is to never tell anyone your secret identity.”

I heard a deep sigh behind me. “You’re right. I’m sorry. That wa ... unwise of me. I’d change back, but I can’t because Plagg, my kwami - the thing that lets me become Chat Noir - needs to get his energy back. I won’t be able to until he finishes eating his cheese, but I’ll become Chat again and take you home. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. That was really foolish.”

“It’s ok,” I said, sitting down and letting my legs dangle off the roof.

I guessed the small thump behind me to be Chat Noir sitting down. Then he spoke, saying, “Why don’t you think you’re a superhero? You seem like one to me, and I barely know you.”

It was my turn to sigh. “Crash course number three: someone out there is always better than you. I could bore you to death with the full hierarchy, but I’ll put it this way: I’m just a little demigod in the midst of people like Percy and Annabeth and the rest of the seven, and then the monsters and gods and titans and - well, you just feel small. Like a nobody. And what nobody ever became a superhero?”

“Plagg, claws out,” Chat murmured.

“I haven’t had time to digest!” a small, vaguely familiar voice complained.

A flash of green later, and Chat Noir sat down next to me. “You’re far from being a nobody, Scarlet. You’ve got real skills with that sword, and you can summon skeletons, and what, shadow travel? Those don’t sound like things a nobody could do.”

“All of those things I can do thanks to Hades. Honestly, without him, I’d be even more of a nobody. It’s because of him that I have all these powers I can barely contain sometimes, and I got the sword as a gift so I wouldn’t end up stuck down there with him forever. And, without a weapon or powers, I really am just a nobody.”

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Chat said gently. He wiped away a tear I hadn’t realized I’d shed, and I did as he’d asked.

“I know how you feel. Without Plagg, I’m just ... me. And I’m no one special either.”

A moment of silence passed I gazed out at the Eiffel Tower, keenly aware of Chat Noir staring at me. I looked at him, but he didn’t flinch. Those completely green eyes were a little unsettling.

“Let me show you who I am,” he begged.

“Why do you want to show me so badly?”

He broke our eye contact. “I’m not fond of secrets. I mean, I don’t want everyone to know who I really am, but people like you or Ladybug? I wouldn't mind if you knew. In fact, I kind of want you to know. Ladybug won’t let me tell her, even though I really want to. I understand if you think it’s too dangerous. Ladybug does. But... do you mind?”

“I - I don’t guess so,” I answered, taken aback by his response. “But why do you want _me_ to know? Like you said, you barely know me.”

“Plagg, claws in,” Chat Noir said again, and green electricity travelled up his body, revealing the man behind the mask.

Adrien Agreste.

“Because,” he replied, “it’s me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a hot second since i had to do regular updates, oops,,  
> also its been so long since i looked at this, im suddenly realizing how bad it is and im cringing sO much sdkjfkhs


	5. Chapter 5

For the better part of five seconds, I could only stare at him in a dumbstruck manner. If the building beneath us had exploded, I don’t think I would have budged. My systems were in complete shock until my brain began functioning again and I started thinking about it.

“That explains so much!” I exclaimed excitedly. “Like how you knew my name, and your kwami, Plagg - that’s who said ‘you have me’ earlier, right? And you _have_ snuck out of windows, haven’t you, just as Chat Noir and not as Adrien!”

“Shh, shh,” he shushed. “Not so loud! I don’t want-”

“It’s Adrien!” shrieked someone from below us, pulling out their phone and snapping pictures.

Others noticed, and soon a small hoard of fans had gathered below us. “He’s with that girl again!” another shrieked, and the crowd grew even bigger.

“-people noticing us,” he finished slowly. “I can’t transform to get us out of here, not with so many people watching. Any ideas?”

I said a silent prayer to Hades, hoping I hadn’t exerted too much power and that the Mist wasn’t on the fritz. “Take my hand. And don’t hold your breath,” I added.

“What? Why?” he asked, but I had already stepped into a shadow.

I’d forgotten what it felt like to use umbraportation for the first time. I mean, yes, you get used to it, but there’s a large amount of times that it takes to not feel like you’re going to hurl. At least I didn’t run us into the Eiffel Tower, or worse, the Great Wall of China. Let me tell you, the best way to check out if your Chinese is good is to have to explain how and why you suddenly appeared in the middle of the Great Wall.

A loud scream behind me threw me off quite a lot, but I focused on getting us back to Adrien’s house and not running us into any walls or off of cliffs or accidentally going to China. I nearly missed the mark, but I latched onto the dark shadow of my bedroom door. We rematerialized in the wedge between the wall and the door.

“That,” Adrien panted, “was unpleasant.”

I snickered. “‘Unpleasant’ is umbraportation in a nutshell. You should be thankful we didn’t end up over a volcano or the ocean, and the fact we didn’t run into anyone. None of those are fun, let me tell you.”

“They certainly don’t _sound_ fun,” he said, emerald green eyes opened as far as they could be. “But is the feeling of your face peeling off actually normal?”

Through a massive yawn, I told him, “Absolutely. But, with great power, comes great need to take a nap.”

I collapsed on my bed, sleep already threatening to overtake me. The only downside to epic demigod powers? The sudden exhaustion and/or hunger you get after using them.

Indistinctly, I heard Adrien mumbling something about keeping that in mind next time, then the door shutting. After that, I was out.


	6. Chapter 6

I rarely had normal demigod dreams anymore. Most of mine were like a mortal’s - that is, not happening in real life - except every single one of them had all the makings of a nightmare.

This is because I spent a nice amount of time in Tartarus with Nico. However, when we came across Akhlys, the goddess of misery, she captured me and would only let me go if Nico took my place. He didn’t mind doing it - wanted to, actually - but I forced him to go on, and he escaped Tartarus without me. I later found out that I’d been held prisoner for several months, from the time Nico left me to when Percy and Annabeth found and rescued me.

Merely being in Tartarus gives you nightmares. My experience? A million times worse.

I don’t remember any of it. My conscience decided, “Hey. That’s super traumatic. Let’s have amnesia!” so the only thing now that haunts me is my subconscious, with nightmares I can’t consciously recall when I wake. I’ve been told, though, that I scream bloody murder in my sleep. I’d been terrified that everyone here would find out about the screaming - Adrien in particular - but when I was out, I was out. I couldn’t help the screaming.

I awoke to my door creaking open. I sat up, ready to call upon my bone sword for a fight, but I relaxed when I saw Adrien’s concerned face.

“Are you okay?” he asked awkwardly. “I thought I heard screaming.”

“Gods, I’m sorry. Did it bother you? I’m a sleep screamer, but I can usually fix it. It’s probably just the change,” I lied.

“No, no, not a problem. I don’t mind. I just got a little worried. Um, anyways, our parents were wondering if you wanted to, maybe, model with me? Your mom’s primary designs are feminine, and she suggested that you should model them, like you did sometimes back in New York. Gorilla, my bodyguard, is waiting outside, my dad thought it would be a good idea for us to go to a photography studio. ‘See if we have good on-screen chemistry,’ or something like that. Are you interested?”

The words didn’t process - maybe because I wasn’t awake, or maybe because they were too unbelievable. “Come again?”

Adrien repeated himself. “I mean, if you want to. There are plenty of other models who would love to do it. I wouldn’t necessarily love if it someone else did it, but I’d understand.”

“No, I would love to. Just - give me a sec. I’m sure I look like a complete mess.”

Adrien chuckled. “You don’t look like a mess at all. Maybe not the best for a photoshoot, but I’ve seen worse.”

I must have given him an odd look because he started stammering, “That’s - not like that - I didn’t mean - not what I meant to say ... . Sorry. I guess that came out wrong.”

“You’re fine,” I said, laughing and swinging my legs off the bed. “I know what you meant. Anyways, what should I wear?”

Adrien walked over to my closet. The one held many more clothes than I’d anticipated, and my few items took up hardly any of it. Most of its current contents were shorts with flowers doodled on the fraying cuffs and t-shirts - and all of those were either purple or orange.

I went into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth, then came back to Adrien looking at my pitifully small amount of options.

“Do you really only have SPQR and Camp Half-Blood t-shirts?” he asked.

“I mean, I never went to school in New York because of the danger, and all of the ones from Texas schools are too small, so ... yeah. I never actually left Camp Half-Blood until the war with Gaea, and the Argo II is kind of gone, so none of those clothes exist anymore.”

“I have no idea what you just said,” he told me, looking confused. He pulled out an SPQR t-shirt and one of my only pairs of jeans. They had scribbled stars along the cuffs.

Adrien noticed the drawings and sighed, then kept looking. “Do you really not have any jackets? I thought New York was cold.”

“It is, but that’s what blankets are for. And Leo. And other fires. And you keep busy doing stuff, so it’s usually not too bad once you add in the fact the weather is magicked into being perfect all the time. But anyways - no. I don’t. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t have a ton of clothes,” I called from the bathroom.

I finished getting dressed and walked back into the bedroom to find Adrien shaking his head. “Your mom’s a fashion designer yet you have no clothes. You make no sense at all. Here, take this. I’ve got at least ten like it,” he said, taking off his white overshirt.

“No, I couldn’t, it’s yours,” I protested. Not because I didn’t want it, but rather because of the painful reminder it gave me of my half-brother Nico. He’d always used to try and give me his clothes, and for a while there, some of Will’s. One of the last things he’d pushed me to wear looked similar to what Adrien tried to give me, a white shirt that I suspected belonged to Will.

“Please?” Adrien pleaded, giving me the puppy-dog (kitty-cat?) eyes.

“Fine, fine,” I relented. It looked huge on me and was warm from Adrien’s body heat. It brought back memories of Will’s shirt, and I fought back sudden tears.

“Is everything good?” Adrien asked, spotting my watery eyes.

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Just - reminded me of someone back in New York.”

“Do you want to talk about it in the car?” he offered, opening the bedroom door for me.

I grabbed the one thing I’d willingly take from Nico before walking out - his silver skull ring, a gift from our dad. “Do you want to hear about it?” I countered.

“I wouldn’t mind learning more about you,” I heard from behind. I waited for Adrien and let him take the lead. We were almost out the door when a male voice directed, “Wait.”

Both of us paused and swiveled to see Mr. Agreste walking down the stairs towards us. “I presume you are heading to the photo studio?” he asked.

Adrien stepped up, positioning himself slightly in front of me in a somewhat protective manner. “Yes, Father, and I wondered if perhaps Scarlet and I could catch a movie afterwards.”

Mr. Agreste hesitated. “I know about your little outing today. I was glad to see you, at least, Adrien, have some common sense and stayed away from the fight. But my interest piqued when I happened to see Miss Chi fighting alongside our city’s two superheroes, after which you both were seen atop a roof together.”

“Father-” Adrien began, but Mr. Agreste cut him off.

“This photoshoot is your chance at redemption. If the photos are quality, you may watch a movie as long as you come straight back, and I will forget this ever happened. Do I make myself clear?”

I could feel Adrien tensing. “Crystal, Father. Thank you,” he said through a fake smile, then led me out to Gorilla, waiting in the car.


End file.
